


i wanna kiss you but my lips are sealed

by SUPERNYMPH



Category: DCU, Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: 5 Times, Crushes, Fluff, Humor, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-26 17:09:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19772713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SUPERNYMPH/pseuds/SUPERNYMPH
Summary: Wally seeks help for his crush.





	i wanna kiss you but my lips are sealed

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this was a commission!
> 
> find me @ sugarplumguardian.tumblr.com

Wally isn’t totally sure how he ended up at this point. Sure he’d gotten desperate but this-- this was just sad. He could picture the look on Dick’s face if he found out about this-- the disappointment.

Yet here he was, unrolling the latest edition of _Seventeen Magazine_. He’d been minding his own business, had stopped for a quick snack after putting bad guys away when it caught his eye: _Ask Your Crush Out in 6 **Simple** Steps!_

He’d thrown it with the rest of his stuff, “For my sister.” He’d said. The clerk grunted. Wally didn’t have a sister.

The magazine was for himself. As soon as he’d read that line someone specific popped in mind. Kaldur’ahm. Aqualad. His teammate and friend.

Wally couldn’t stop thinking about him.

And like he said, he was desperate. He was tired of staring longingly, tired of wanting, wanting, wanting. He wanted to know if he even had a shot with him or if all these longing stares were for nothing. And so in his room at 8pm on a school night, he began to read:

  1. _Listen_ to them! Make _eye contact!_ Ask questions! Who doesn’t love a good listener?
  2. _Vocalize_ what you like about them! Compliment them on things you like. Like their hair? Tell them! Like their voice! Let them know!
  3. Buy your crush a _hot drink!_ Mmmmmmm! Who doesn’t love a hot drink?! Bring a hottie to a hottie!
  4. Put _yourself_ out there! Ask them out for one on one time! Ask for their number! Let them know you’re interested.
  5. _Give yourself a deadline!_ None of these things will happen if you don’t make them. Set a realistic deadline and go for it!
  6. **_Just go for it!_**



The next page showed photos of the latest celebs and off duty models in streetwear. Wally sighed and stuffed the magazine under his mattress. Number 1: Listen to him. He does that already. But does he make eye contact? Ask questions? He can’t remember. What does he like about him? His eyes. His hair. His skin, his hands, his mouth, his everything. He was kind and considerate. He cared about their team. Put himself out there? Ha! Wally got the shakes whenever he even thought about confessing.

Wally sighed. He was oh so helplessly in like. But he could do this, he could at least show that he was interested. Maybe he wouldn’t have to confess, maybe Kaldur would say it first.

He’d start with the first one. Listening. Wally wasn't the best listener. His mind raced and raced through various topics and subjects in the few moments it took most people to put a sentence together. But he’d slow it down, he’d keep his mind in check and make really, really good contact. He could do this.

  
“Any questions?” Kaldur asked at their next briefing, looking around at everyone. Wally shook his head when Kaldur glanced at him. He seemed to have noticed Wally’s intent attention. After the meeting, Kaldur would pull him aside and compliment him on it. Wally could see it now. _He’d lazily sprawl in whatever doorway was nearby as the team made their way out. Kaldur would blush and stutter as he made his way through the compliment. Wally would chuckle at his shyness and then pull him in close and--_

“Wally,” Kaldur waves a hand in front of distant and probably stupid facial expression. Wally perks up immediately, “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine.”

“I thought maybe there was something in your eye.” Kaldur pointed to his own, “You hardly blinked the entire meeting.”

Wally’s mind is oddly blank at the moment. He blinks a few times and huffs a little too loudly, stretches and coughs, “Right! Yeah, I--” He laughs again and slowly stands to his feet.

Kaldur gives a worried look, “Are you sure you’re...”

“I’m great!” Wally says, not at all convincingly but it would have to do. Kaldur didn’t push it but instead slowly nodded as Wally made his escape.

  
It’s just after a relatively small mission. Kaldur had been great as usual and now was the perfect time to work on vocalizing this.

“Hey, Kaldur. Good work today.”

  
“Thank you KF. You too. You all did well today.”

The team smile at each other and dissolve into post-mission chit-chat. Wally pushed himself to try a little harder because this wasn’t supposed to be comradery. It was flirting gosh darn it. “Yeah but you, like, especially did really well.”

“Thanks…” He says with a hint of suspicion. Oh great. Wally’s being weird again. Time to abandon ship.

“Yeah...” Wally slowly backs away with a small chuckle.

What is it about talking to him that makes him so? Awkward? So weird so-- not himself. Wally can’t shake the jittery feeling the post conversation butterflies he gives him. So maybe all these direct approaches aren’t his thing. Maybe it’s time for step three.

  
This was a step he’d agreed to skip because it was embarrassing. He didn’t know why but the thought of bringing Kaldur something-- in front of everyone because of course they never had a moment alone-- made his cheeks flush. But it had to be done. Hot chocolate. _Everyone_ loves hot chocolate. It was from one of Wally’s favorite spots and made with lots and lots of whipped cream. Only, Wally had transferred it to a mug, under the guise that he’d made two by accident and would offer one to Kaldur, who would conveniently (Wally knew things, don’t ask how) walk in at any moment.

“Kal!” Wally says catching sight of him and Artie walking in side by side, “I thought you might want a drink maybe?” Wally slides the hot chocolate across the counter.

Artemis bursts out laughing while Kaldur looks rather sheepish. “It’s hot chocolate kid idiot. He doesn’t drink hot drinks. I do though,” She yanks the drink before Wally can protest and gulps it down-- which _how the hell_ \-- then burps. “That hit the spot.”

  
“So this friend of mine… has a crush.” Wally starts.

He and Dick are in his room playing video games. Dick, as usual, is winning. He’d been desperate before, but he knew he’d hit a new low if he was coming to Dick for advice. For one, he’d never let him live it down if he knew who it was he was crushing on. For two Dick was younger than him and for some reason asking him for advice felt weird. Shouldn’t he be the one giving the advice? At any rate, Dick was the only person he could discuss this with. So it would have to do. Only if he could keep his own name out of it, it’d go a lot smoother. “A crush?”

Wally backtracks, “Less of a crush, more of intense adoration of someone.”

Dick hums. His character beats Wally’s once again. Even with his super speedy hands Dick still manages to beat him without fail each time. “Anyone I’d know?”

“No!” Wally says quickly. “No, you uh… you don’t know them. Either of them.”

“Really? A friend you say…” Wally is switching the game to something where can at least lose with dignity when Dick places a hand on his shoulder from his own bean bag and with an alarming amount of sympathy says, “Walls… You know I think you’re great right?”

Wally pauses and squints at him, “...Yes?” Dick raises his eyebrows. Wally splutters, “Oh! Oh dude, no!”

“I’m just saying it’d be totally natural given my dashingly good looks, that you’d--”

Wally shakes his head, “No idiot I like someone else, not you!”

“Ah, so it is about you then…” Dick says as if this isn’t exactly what he’d been trying to get Wally to admit the entire time.

Wally is quiet for a spell and then, “I hate you.”

Dick bursts out laughing and doesn’t stop until the new game’s loading screen flashes.

“Okay,” Wally says, trying again. “My question is how does one move from the Friend More Like Acquaintance Zone to the More Than That But Not Quite Really Yet Zone?”

“Have you been friends for a while?”

“Eh…” He makes a so-so motion.

“Hm. Well, how do you know this person doesn’t like you back?”

“I… I dunno I guess….”

“One of the biggest no-no’s is the shoulder grasp.”

“What?”

Dick grabs his shoulder and gives him that sympathetic look once again, “You see this move and you’re about to be turned down to hell.”

“Oh…”

“Don’t worry. Just tell them how you feel and see what happens. But if you see that shoulder grasp coming, be prepared for the worst.” Dick explains. “Do you have their number?”

“No?”

“Get it. Confess over text maybe it’ll be easier that way. Or, you should just ask them out to do something? Skating? Movie? Something they’d like.”

  
They play in silence for a while. Wally thinks over everything he’s said and honestly? It doesn’t sound too bad. “You know Dick, sometimes you’re actually good for something.”

“Ah but I wish I could say the same.”

  
They’ve been discussing the mission for tomorrow. A group of burglars are planning a huge robbery tomorrow on a bank. They’d sat around all evening listening to the playbacks from one of Dick’s bugs until all the information they needed about the drop tomorrow had been collected.

“Okay. We’ve got their plan, we’ll meet here tomorrow at 2pm. Stay on alert in case anything changes.” Kaldur says. Everyone agrees easily and then the team breaks off, making small idle chit chat before they begin to go their separate ways. Wally sets his own plan into motion just then.

Wally makes a show of it-- his new phone. He was due for an upgrade on Aunt Iris’ and Barry’s plan anyway. He’d spent some of the briefings pulling it out and texting Dick (though they were in the same room) conspicuously. He even kept the ringer on at a pretty loud volume so each time it _dings_ he had a reason to pull it out.

“Oh gosh,” He exclaims, suddenly. “Only half of my numbers switched over,” Wally says casually. “I’ll have to get some of them all over again…”

It seems that everyone _but_ Kaldur perks up at this, surrounding him to make sure their contact info is still locked in, quickly sending messages to the existing group chats stating who they are. Once they ease away, Wally makes his way over to Kaldur.

“I don’t have yours…” He says with a faux confusion. “Maybe I should just take down your number?”

Kaldur actually looks like a deer in headlights, “My number?”

“In case of… Anything?” Wally tries.

“I don’t have a phone. If something comes up you’ll have to contact base. Why? Do you think something will go wrong?”

Wally shakes his head, “No! No…”

Wally sighed and clutched his phone in one hand. Another fail. What’s worse is that Dick definitely heard that exchange so now he know’s for sure who Wally’s mystery crush is. This can’t get any worse.

Just as he thinks it, Dick pipes up fast. “They’re robbing the bank now.”

“What? I thought they were making their drop tomorrow!” Wally says.

“Change of plans,” Dick says running towards the door, with the team following.

  
Wally peers around the corner. He’s on the base, but no one knows he’s here yet. So, his last attempts were disasters, like heavy on the _dis_. But so what? Rome didn’t rise in a day. Or-- that’s not how the quote goes is it? Anyway, -- he shakes his head-- he’s got a pretty good idea of what Kaldur’ahm is interested in. He’s _Atlantian_. Water, fish, ocean things right? This one should be a piece of cake. Wally will strike up a small conversation, all groundwork for later working up to asking him out to the Aquarium later where Wally will once again impress him but this time with an intensive knowledge of undersea creatures. Once Kaldur sees how competent Wally is as someone who can hold an intellectual conversation about all things sea-- it’s smooth sailing from there, _pun intended._

It takes a while for Kaldur to be alone, team members loiter around in the common area until something else catches their attention and they move away to a different room. Wally appears in front of him when he’s not expecting it causing him to startle just a bit. Wally is leaned on the island in the common room with his hands clasped and a lazy grin across his face.

“Wally,” Kaldur says in acknowledgment.

“So,” Wally starts conversationally. “Fish.”

Kaldur visibly stalls, “What?”

“You know,” Wally says lightheartedly, “I had an extra ticket to the aquarium.”

He and Kaldur are just kind of staring at each other for a moment. The gears in Kaldur’s mind working steadily, until-- “Oh! Oh... I actually don’t enjoy seeing them… Contained.”

There’s this white silence in his mind and then he’s back in action, “Ohhhhhh. Oh! Of course! No, no I wasn’t inviting you--”

“Wally,” He looks apologetic. His hand is coming up, probably for a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. Oh no. Oh God no. _The Shoulder Grasp._

Wally speeds to the other side of the room and laughs, nervously, probably sounds like a damn maniac. “I was letting you know that I had the extra ticket because I wasn’t planning on using either of them!” Wally looks at the ticket then in a decision quick as light, stuffs it into his mouth. “See?” He says through a mouthful of the ticket.

Kaldur winces. Wally cringes. The rest is too embarrassing to recall.

  
Dick won’t stop laughing. It’s been a solid fifteen minutes and Wally’s starting to get ticked off. “Alright, _Dick_ that’s enough.”

“I’m sorry,” He wheezes, “Just-- just walk me through it one more time,”

“I’ve told you three times already,”

“Wally--”

“Three!”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I just haven’t had a laugh like that in ages. Oh my god. I need to sit.” He lies next to Wally flat on the floor. The Bludhaven apartment is bare save for one single chair that came with. Dick is quietly humming now looking up at the ceiling with him.

“B still not talking to you?”

Dick shrugs, “He’ll get over it.” The _‘I think,’_ isn’t said but it’s somewhat acknowledged as it floats in the air.

“I have another confession.”

“Wally please I don’t think my lungs can take it.”

Wally smacks his lips and makes to get up and leave. “Okay! Okay. I’ll behave.” Dick says, “Come on I promise, what is it?”

Wally fishes the rolled-up magazine from his back pocket and hands it to him, lying back down.

Dick looks at the cover then frantically opens it. “Aw Walls, you shouldn’t have,” He coos.

Page 24 there’s a few photos of Dick outside a gala with Bruce, in pink cursive it says _**Hottie Alert.**_ “Not-- Not that you asshole!” Wally flushes and flips it to the other page which is just as embarrassing. He holds his breath and waits. Waits for the laughter to begin again.

“Hm.”

“Hm?” Wally parrots.

“It’s not bad advice. Not bad at all.” Dick confesses. “It also explains your weird intense staring these last few weeks.”

“I… I haven’t been staring.”

“Dude, I know staring when I see it.”

“What do I do Dick?”

Dick sighs and rolls over to prop himself up on one arm. “Just tell him. I’m guessing you’ve done all of these otherwise you wouldn’t be here. It’s time to buckle down and let him know how you feel.”

“What if he doesn’t feel the same?”

Dick smiles sadly. “Then we’ll get through that together.”

  
Wally clenches his fists and swallows. He’s outside Kaldur’s room. He’ll knock, say what he’s got to say then walk away. It’s time to stop running, stop hiding and face this head-on.

He brings his hand up and gives it two rapid knocks. No answer. Oh well, he tried aha might as well go home-- The door swings open just as Wally had taken a step in the opposite direction.

“Wally.” Kaldur says, “What’s wrong?”

His tone had changed once Wally hadn’t answered him. Wally swallowed again. He could do this.

“Kaldur’ahm,” He started. “I like you. I know you might now feel the same but I just need to tell you.”

It was so quiet. Wally couldn’t tell if it’d been a moment or two or three. All he knew was the silence in his ears and his heart thumping against his chest.

And then, one hand reaching out, Kaldur softly says, “Wally…”

His heart breaks. He knows what’s coming next. He takes a small step back hands in front of him, “No, it’s okay. I’ll go now.”

Well. He hopes Dick has no plans for tonight, Wally needs about a dozen movies and a load of ice cream and pizza for this one. Before he can even draft out the message he’s gonna send in his head, he feels a hand in his. He pauses, his heart kicking up again.

“Wally,”

Wally turns, filled with hope and cheeks burning. Kaldur steps close --he smells so good-- and leans down to kiss him.

  
The movies do happen however, only it’s with Kaldur’ahm instead. They’re curled up on the couch watching one of Wally’s favorite’s and everything feels right.


End file.
